More Google Stadia News | Should You Preorder?
It’s official, ladies and gentlemen, Google Stadia aims to revolutionize the gaming industry as we know it. The first ever Google Stadia Connect was released on YouTube today and brings forth answers to our burning questions. This cloud gaming platform in the making is going live by the end of the year and now we finally know the business model. With Google Stadia news taking the internet by storm, it’s about time I roll up my sleeves and bring you up to speed!
Google Stadia Connect News
June 6th, remember this date. It’s the date the first-ever official Google Stadia news video came out. And, judging by everything explained in roughly 25 minutes, we might be up for a proper gaming industry revolution.
That said, if you have 25 minutes of free time, checking out the full Google Stadia Connect News video is well worth it.
Is Superfast Internet Necessary?
Ever since the first Google Stadia news saw the light of day, people have been wondering about the internet speed requirements. In the past, there were several notable cloud gaming platforms and their biggest issue was always something internet-related. Whether we’re talking about high bandwidth requirements, high input delay or the unavailability of servers. Cloud gaming platforms rely heavily on your internet connection, so these questions are completely justifiable.
Luckily, the Google Stadia Connect shed some light on the subject. Right off the bat, the best thing about Stadia’s internet requirements is the fact it’s not uniform across the board. Just like you can adjust the resolution of a game on your PC, apparently, you can do the same thing with Google Stadia.
If your internet caps at 10Mbps, you’ll still get to enjoy 720p games at 60fps. Full HD HDR games with 5.1 surround sound and 60fps require around 20Mbps. And lastly, 4K HDR, 5.1 surround and 60fps requires anywhere from 30 to 35.
So yeah, it seems as though Google Stadia could be the cloud gaming platform of choice for pretty much everyone. No matter what kind of internet connection you have (unless it’s absolutely atrocious), you’ll be able to enjoy Google Stadia, albeit at a lower resolution.
However, with this latest Google Stadia news depicting a large range of internet speeds and resolutions, another big question is still out in the open. How much is Google Stadia going to cost? What business model will it use? What about games, subscription fees, and all that stuff? Well, all that and more can be found in the next couple of paragraphs.
Google Stadia Price Tag
We’ve learned quite a bit about the price tag during the first-ever Google Stadia Connect. Let’s start off with the new monthly subscription, the base business model of Google Stadia. The subscription service is called Stadia Pro and will cost a mere $9.99 per month. This will provide you with an extensive game library as well as streaming 4K HDR games in 60fps. New games will be added every month and you won’t have to pay any extra money for them.
Stadia Base, coming next year, will offer a free cloud gaming experience to everyone. On virtually anything that can rune Chrome, mind you. It will have certain drawbacks though. For starters, the resolution is capped at Full HD at 60fps with stereo sound and it won’t come with a monthly dose of free games. Furthermore, you won’t get any Stadia Pro exclusive discounts on game purchases meaning you’ll have to buy all the games you’re going to be playing. And, worst of all, you’ll have to buy them at full price.
That said, Stadia Pro monthly subscription is sort of like Netflix for gamers. You pay a monthly fee and you get a bunch of games on a monthly basis. Combine a relatively modest price tag with the fact you can use Google Stadia with virtually any device and controller, and you’ll understand why it could revolutionize the gaming industry.
If you want the premium experience, Google has offered up a limited Founder’s Edition. The price tag sits at $129.99 which actually isn’t that much considering everything you’re getting with it.
The Founders Edition Includes
- Chromecast Ultra
- Limited-edition Night Blue Stadia controller
- Three months of Stadia Pro and Buddy Pass
- Early access to reserve a Stadia name (gamertag)
You can buy additional Stadia controllers ($69.99) for couch multiplayer. If that’s not your cup of tea, the Founder’s Edition hooks you up with Buddy Pass. A special program that allows you to share all the fun with one of your friends. But what sort of games will you be able to play on this brand-new cloud gaming platform? Now that we’ve covered the price tag and internet speed questions, the game library is next on the chopping block.
Stadia Game Library at Launch
In all honesty, there are still many questions open regarding Stadia’s game library. Yes, we’ve seen the subscription model and we’ve seen several game demos in the Stadia Connect video. However, this photo shows that not everything will be that simple.
As you can see, the Stadia Pro monthly subscription plan allows you to buy games whenever you want, just like the base model. So, what this probably means is that, with Stadia Pro, you’ll get a number of free games each month. However, you’ll still have to purchase the AAA titles on top of the $9.99 monthly subscription fee if you want to play them at 4K HDR 60fps.
As for the game library available at launch in November, Google Stadia seems pretty well off. Baldur’s Gate 3, Gylt, Ghost Recon Breakpoint and The Division 2 are the biggest names here. However, they’re accompanied by numerous other games. Here’s what the official Google Stadia website depicts:
And no, we didn’t accidentally crop too much of the image. That’s just how the text looks on Google Stadia website.
At the end of the day, the Stadia looks highly promising. If the console is half the things Google says it is, it will truly be the beginning of a new era for the gaming industry at large.
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